[22202NOVA]

I’m all for HOT lanes. Why should roads be restricted to 2 or 3, or sometimes even 4, when I’m willing to pay to use the roads for my convenience? It’s the beauty of the free market.

[golux]

Our taxes are supposed to go to build roads for taxpayers. Now our government takes lanes away and builds more in order to generate even more revenue. What the heck is the difference between private enterprise and government? The difference is evidently that government takes whatever they want for free from anyone, prints their own money, and arrests you whenever they want.

How sad and hypocritical of a guy who says "I AM WILLING TO PAY." What about the poor sonovabitch who CAN'T pay?

Roads for you and a three-hour traffic jam for him?

Like on the 95 South of DC where the Govt now squeezes everyone into a mess of bumper to bumper traffic while the $12 lanes, wrested from the "free" lanes, serve only those willing and able to pay the special government tribute? What about BY AND FOR THE PEOPLE!

[Carry_Okie]

Why should roads be restricted to 2 or 3, or sometimes even 4, when I’m willing to pay to use the roads for my convenience? It’s the beauty of the free market.

Public roads are anything but a free market enterprise.

[biggerten]

Huh. Where I live, a lane was converted to HOT use, it’s taxpayer funded.

I get your argument if a private company paid for the road.

The way it really works is, a three lane freeway is converted to two lanes + HOT. The HOT monies are split between the express pass company and the government.

The state patrol enforces the HOT lane, and pull the drivers over to the right hand shoulder. Now, state law says you have to move over a lane to give the trooper safe room, and now the middle lane is the only one to use legally (in reality, the right lane still gets used, but some people try merge into the center lane, result is a traffic jam so that the officer can write the ticket).

Soooooooooooooo. Money for the express pass folks, money for the state, all at taxpayer expense, in taxes to build the lanes, pay the troopers to enforce them and in a slower commute in the remaining lanes.